1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is related to pistons for power cylinder assemblies of internal combustion engines.
2. Related Art
There is a continuing desire to increase power density (power per unit volume of displacement) of internal combustion engines to maximize power while minimizing packaging size and mass. One approach some engine manufacturers have taken to reduce packaging size and mass is to reduce the wall thicknesses of various components in the engine including, for example, the cylinder head and the engine block. However, in order to avoid damaging the engine during use, these components must remain sufficiently strong to resist combustion gas pressures within the combustion chambers of the engine. Therefore, in engines with a fixed compression ratio, the compression ratio must be specifically set so as to avoid damaging the engine, but this may compromise the performance of the engine during certain times, such as during start-up of the engine, when a higher compression ratio would be desirable.
There remains a continuing need for a high power density engine which has a variable compression ratio so as to optimize the performance of the engine during a wider range of operating conditions.